How to Start a Composting a Pile Naturally

Compost is organic matter, usually leaves and vegetable waste that has been left to decay and decompose. The process of creating compost is called composting. Composting is a good way of getting rid of organic waste; the composted matter can be used as fertilizer. There are two main ways of composting; hot and cold composting. With hot composting you have to alter the conditions of the organic waste to generate heat for decomposing; hence, it involves a lot of work but takes a shorter time. On the other hand, with cold composting heat for decomposition comes from within the waste. The cold process takes longer, but involves less work.

Creating a compost pile can be as easy as dumping all your organic waste together and waiting for it to decompose. Below are some of the simple methods of composting your organic waste at home:

CREATING YOUR OWN NATURAL COMPOST

Closed Bin Composting

Most bins are made from recycled plastic and have a lid, but the bottom is not covered. This is a good method for cold composting that can be adopted for both urban and rural settings. They are suitable for people with a small place to create compost. To harvest your compost, fork the top to a new compost location until you reach to the part on the bottom and center that has decomposed.

Pit Composting

This is the best cold composting method, because you stuff all your organic waste in a hole and wait for it to decompose. It does not involve any work and it keeps your compost out of sight, allowing your garden to stay neat. It is very economical, you do not need a single penny and it leaves that part of your farm or garden fertile.

Open Bin Composting

Open bin composting is suitable for both hot and cold composting. You can have several open bins and each bin holds waste at different stages of decomposition. The openness of the bins allows turning and harvesting of the compost to happen more easily. The openness of the bins also makes the circulation of air smoother, speeding decomposition. The cost of open bin composting depends on the size and number of bins you want to use.

Tumbler Composting

These are closed containers that keep your compost out of sight. The compost is turned, or “tumbled” occasionally by hand to help make an even decomposition. They are good for urban and suburban homes because they occupy a small space. They are raised from the ground with stands, making the turning easier either with hand or handle. Since it is not connected to the ground, some soil is added in order to increase the diversity of microbial life to speed the decomposing process. It involves just a little labor, since turning and harvesting is done at waist level.

Piling

It is the most common method of composting. It is simply a pile of organic matter left to rot. It is suitable for both hot and cold composting. Turning is easy since it is in the open; you simply fork the top to the ground next to it and create another pile. The problem with this method is that your organic waste is in the open; you will be affected by flies and the stench. It is definitely not suitable for urban or suburban homes!

Vermi-composting

This method uses worms for decomposing. This is a great indoor method of composting because it requires little space. The organic waste is put under moistened beddings; the beddings can be made from dead leaves, straws or old papers. The worms will eat the organic waste and reproduce as they aerate your compost. The beddings should be moist all the time and you should bury your organic waste deep enough to avoid fruit flies.

START YOUR COMPOST PILE TODAY!

Preparing you own compost is very cost effective because you simply use organic waste from your kitchen or farm. Compost manure is not only cheap, but also very beneficial to your soil because it neutralizes both acid and alkaline soil. Compost contains nutrients that are absent in synthetic fertilizers and it does not pollute the soil or water. Regularly using compost in your soil attracts useful organisms to live in it, keeping it well aerated. Depending on your space, budget, and effort, you can choose any of the composting methods that suit you. The important thing is that you get the most nutritious compost; to achieve this you should mix different organic wastes together.